We use cookies to optimize the functionality of our website and for certain marketing purposes. You agree to our use of cookies by clicking on 'Allow Cookies' or by continuing to browse this website. Click here to display Privacy and Cookie Policy.

Henning Stummel & SSAB collaborate on unique Tin House

17.05.2017

Any building professional knows that selecting materials is one of the profession’s biggest challenges. When it comes to roofs and facades, the focus often falls on creating a visual treat that won’t fade as time goes by. So how did Swedish architect Henning Stummel face designing a unique facade for his family home, Tin House? The answer lay with finding the right material supplier.

Tin House was designed by Henning in order to provide a comfortable, urban home for the architect, wife, two teenage daughters and black cat Audrey. It was built on a plot of brownfield land, formerly a car-breakers’ yard, in Shepherd’s Bush, London.

When the site was first purchased, it had planning permission for a central bungalow, surrounded by a two-metre wide garden. Rather than sticking with this plan, Henning chose to subvert it by submitting a design featuring six pavilions clad in earthy, rustic steel, arranged around a tranquil pool.

The architect was keen to create a serene, secluded space that also formed a close dialogue with the raw London-stock bricks used in the surrounding houses. As such, he had a very real need to find the exact façade panels to provide this contextual connection with nearby buildings. And for that, Henning turned to his native Sweden to find the right supplier.

Enter SSAB. SSAB is a Swedish company specialising in steel building elements. Its products contain a number of innovative touches that separate them from rival competitors. In this case, Henning chose to use his fellow countrymen’s GreenCoat PLX BT system to outfit Tin House’s pyramidal pavilions.

“In the case of the Tin House, we began by looking at all materials,” Henning said. “What was important was ensuring that we could get a coloured finish that would be long lasting – something that would not fade – in order to preserve the unique look for decades to come. The fact that GreenCoat PLX BY features a coating with environmentally friendly properties is an equally important benefit.”

According to the architect, SSAB’s steel solutions reduce Tin House’s environmental impact considerably – a characteristic of high import to Henning. Sustainability was not the only focus for the designer, however, as Tin House presented some architectural challenges thanks to some small Scandinavian touches worked into each unit’s design.

Henning said: “The main challenge was building a house without gutters. On the courtyard side, water comes straight off the roof and goes into a drainage strip. The other side of the house has a boundary wall.

“For this we used concealed gutters as well as a Swedish detail, where a roof gutter is tucked under the strips that come down, so that water still drains completely on the property. Since Green Coat PLX BT is easy to form, we were able to obtain the desired rainwater function and style.”

Use of GreenCoat PLX helped Tin House net one of the UK’s biggest architectural prizes, alongside a raft of nominations for other awards. 2016 saw Henning and Tin House win the coveted RIBA 2016 London Award for the Best House.

If you are a building designer looking for a hard wearing, attractive and environmentally friendly steel panel, consider GreenCoat PLX BT from SSAB. Maybe your resulting building could become an award winner too.

We have a number of SSAB’s solutions in the WorldBuild365 product directory. Head over there today to learn more about SSAB and their innovative products.